The International Baseball Federation and president Harvey Schiller announced earlier this week a new tiebreaking method that will be in effect at the Beijing Olympics despite a formal protest by Japan and other countries affiliated with the IBAF.
The IBAF announced last week that base runners would be placed on first and second with no outs to start the 11th inning, in a bid to avoid drawn-out extra-inning games. In addition, managers will have the option of starting the 11th inning anywhere in the batting order, as long as the previous two batters are the assigned baserunners.
"Discussion of ending a game in a timely fashion has been going on for years," Schiller said last week at a news conference in Tokyo. "We have discussed the tiebreaker for many months and it will be in effect in Beijing."
The Baseball Federation of Japan filed a formal letter of complaint earlier this week, requesting that the implementation of the rule change be either reversed or delayed.
"It is inadequate to change the rules only two weeks before the Olympics," Japanese Olympic coach Senichi Hoshino told Agence France-Presse.
The United States and Canada have supported Japan's protest.
"Our concern is that if you're going to do it, don't pilot it in a significant event like the Olympics," Canadian national team general manager Greg Hamilton said earlier this week.
The new rule played a role in determining the outcome of an exhibition game for the Chinese Taipei national team on Tuesday as the club fell to Brother Elephants of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, 7-6.
(Patrick Gordon is managing editor of the Philadelphia Baseball Review and also works as a freelance sports writer.)
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